The Birthday that Went on Forever

It is raining this morning in New York.

Tonight I am going with Shayna to the New York Liberty - Detroit Shock WNBA playoff game at Madison Square Garden.

I anticipated yesterday that there would be no bike ride this morning (or this evening).

I am happy with this and am looking forward to the break from the bike.

I am back to my goal weight, and I owe a lot of that to, not the 41 days of cycling from my birthday on July 3 through September 12, but from the 44 additional days I rode through yesterday.

I knew yesterday that this journey had ended when I got back home from the morning ride.

I commemorated it with this photograph:


I'm smiling because: a) I'm tired, b) I'm proud, and c) I never quit (although I came close) and it was only the weather that forced me to end the streak.

Thanks to all who have left me words of encouragement and support while I completed this task. Had someone told me on July 3 that I would continue through September 25, I would have been skeptical. Have a great weekend!

The End of a Run

So the weather forecast tomorrow is grim. Rain and high winds, courtesy of the ghost of Tropical Storm Hanna. What does this mean?

Even if there are spots of sunshine (unlikely), I have decided to take the day off from the bike.

And with the streets clogged on Sunday with cyclists doing the NY Century Ride, I may take off Sunday, too.

I initially started with the intention, on July 3, of riding 41 straight days. On August 12, I achieved that goal and had logged 341 miles.

However, since then, I've tacked on an extra 25 days and today, Day 66, I rode the bike to work, bringing my cumulative total to 548.69 miles. I'm going to say 550 because it sounds awesome. If I biked 548 miles from home, I'd be somewhere just west of Columbus, Ohio by now.

Last week, my landlords returned from almost 2 months in Florida. While they were gone, I kept the bike down in the vestibule on the ground floor. Since they've been back, as they would not be happy with my bike "in their way," I've lugged it up and down three flights of stairs each day.

I'm not sure if this is related or not, but my back hurts.

I am tired. Although riding is not tiring, it is the act of motivating myself to ride, and the thought of getting up early to ride each day that mentally exhausts me.

So. Tomorrow will be a well-earned day off. I am also happy to report that the exercise and a low-grade cholesterol medication gave me a shiny healthy number that made my doctor tremble with glee. Today at my Weight Watchers meeting I weighed in at 180.6. The week before my birthday I was 188.2. My "lifetime" goal is 179. The last time I was below 181 was January 2007. I am beyond happy to be in this neighborhood again.

And whether it is Sunday, or perhaps Monday, I will get on the bike again and start riding. I don't anticipate 66 days straight again, but you never know.

Thanks for listening with your eyes.

41 Days

Today I celebrated being 41 years and 41 days old by completing my 41st consecutive day of riding my bike.

Thank you for accompanying my journey on BillyBlog.

I rode 6.7 miles today, bringing my 41-day total to......

341.38 miles.

I averaged 8.33 miles per day over this time, thanks to some big rides offsetting all the 6 and 7-mile days.

And between this morning and tomorrow, I will decide whether I will continue just to see how many consecutive days I will ride.

But for the purposes of BillyBlog, the journey ends today. I will leave you this morning with one more sunrise from the pier:


and instead of a photo from 4.1 miles, I will leave you with some video from a spot on the Shore Promenade that became all too familiar to me:

Thanks again for following along!

Forty Days and, Well, Uh, Forty Days

The penultimate day of my 41-day challenge brought me a cool, crisp 65-degree morning and cloudless skies.

It certainly is darker at 5:30 in the morning than it was forty days ago.

At 4.1 miles:
Finished with 7.17 for the morning.

The Thirty-Ninth Step

Wow. I'm almost done. I was exhausted today, but I rode anyway, first thing in the morning, because we are going to a Brooklyn Cyclones game in the afternoon.

The 4.1 mile photo was yawn-inducing:


But I snapped this cool shot later on:


7.59 miles today.

Thirty-Eight

A beautiful day to ride. Warm and sunny, but with low humidity. Check out the view looking south toward the Verrazano from the pier:
Here's the 4.1 photo:


A healthy 10.23 miles today.

Eight Eight Oh Eight: Good Fortune for Some, Bad Fortune for Others

My ride was cut a little short this morning due to a bonehead move on the bike path. I had just taken my boring 4.1 mile picture and had regained my cruising speed of approximately 12-14 MPH. I reached down with my right hand and grabbed my water bottle from its holster. I was about to take a drink when I saw, on the left side of the bike lane, something that distracted me. I hit the brakes. The problem is (as many of you may have already guessed), braking with two hands, good. Braking with one hand, bad.

Wipeout.

Despite a knee contusion, the brunt of the damage was minor, a huge scrape now graces my right arm below the elbow.

I have lots of fun pictures, of course. But those will have to wait. I will leave you with one thought. See the big blotch on the signpost photo at the top of the page? My blood.

5.25 miles today.

Oh, and the thing that distracted me that caused a spectacular wipeout that no one got to see? Here it is:


So there you have it friends. Today, the price of stupidity is 6 bucks. Go Team USA!

Brett Favre Traded to Jets, I Ride with Mixed Emotions

That's my signpost photographed on a cracked mirrored coffee table, in case you were wondering.

The camera was acting weird this morning, probably because it's a Packers fan. But it lives in New York, so it will get to see its favorite quarterback play on TV every week.

The 4.1 photo is a bit yawn-inducing. But you should see some of the alternates:
Then again, the sunrise was spectacular, and a lot more crisp than this picture would indicate:


Just 5.41 miles this morning.

Playing Hooky

Well, it's really an approved day off.

Here's the 4.1 mile picture:


9.07 miles.

Rode to Work

11.65 miles this morning.

Check back this evening or tomorrow morning for an update and photos.Weather permitting, I will be riding home, as well.

UPDATE:

I commuted to work, both ways, via the bike. 24.03 miles round trip. Plus I saved 4 bucks on train fare.

Here's my 4.1 mile photo:

Nothing too interesting. However, I was rewarded again with an amazing sunrise on the Brooklyn Bridge. That's the Manhattan Bridge in the distance.

33 1/3

Day 33.

7.2 miles.

At 4.1, a familiar spot to me now, since I am a creature of habit. I opt for a self-portrait. I use the self-timer for the first time. The effect is a ghostly, washed-out look that's pretty cool:

And the beat goes on....

Beautiful Day, Short Ride

I had to carve out a short ride, thanks to a tardy grocery delivery on a day with a full schedule to begin with.

5.27 miles.

At 4.1 miles:

Why such a short ride today? Many reasons, one of which is in evidence here:

More on that later....

Saturday Sluggishness

Rode a lazy, slow-paced 11.09 miles this morning.

Here are two 4.1 mile photos:

Thirty Days

On my thirtieth consecutive day of riding, I cycled 7.21 miles.

Here's a little sea life that was deposited on the bike path at my 4.1 mile mark:

The Ride of Frankenstein

Nothing to do with Frankenstein, just liked the pun.

Well, I certainly surprised myself, riding every day in July, except for the two days when I was just a 40-year old.

I have two 4.1 mile photos today. I call them "Far and Near". The first is a shot, looking back as a Carnival cruise ship glides past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge:


Seeing the cruise ships regularly at this time reminds me of my friend Tony in Los Angeles, being able to tell how he was doing on time during his daily commute by his placement on the 105 freeway in relation to a Korean Air Lines 747 descending daily into LAX.

The "near" is just a close-up of some flotsam. Or jetsam. I'm not sure how to tell the difference:


The tally for the day, 7.64 miles.

The Saddest Cupcake in the World

A respectable 6.70 miles this morning, doing a couple of circuits around Dyker Beach Golf Course
in a decent, albeit unambitious, ride.

My 4.1 picture was a blurry attempt at artistic expression: the lightening sky seen through the warped vision of a playground designer-


I'd default instead to a shot taken a quarter of a mile later on my second lap of the course. I must have missed it in the dark the first time around:


Sorry William Carlos Williams, but so much depends on a discarded cupcake, abandoned on a city street, uneaten, and awaiting certain smushing.

On a side note, all is well in Southern California, the BillyFamily there was shaken, not stirred. Read a brief account of my dear old Dad's over on his blog The Ancient One, Blessed Be He, featuring a cameo by yours truly.

Running Out of Clever Titles

Not much to report today, aside from a worrisome sound in the bike's crank that might mean a trip to the bike shop soon for a quick peek.

An ant's view at 4.1 miles:


5.54 miles this morning.

Monday Morning - Back in the Saddle Again

The rain put a damper on plans for a longer ride yesterday, but this morning we were back to business as usual. The sign-post picture above captures some childrens' art on the walking path that runs parallel to the bike path. Click on the photo for greater detail.

I did my normal Shore Promenade Bike Path circuit, a healthy 7.26 miles.

At 4.1 I snapped a shot of the sky. Nice crescent moon.

Another Rainy Day

Well, it was really only the rainiest when I planned on riding, in the afternoon. The good news was that I did a little "junk riding," as I've come to call it. Junk riding is a trip around the block (0.40 miles), plus I did a little zigging and zagging and accumulated 2.03 miles all told. After the 25-mile jaunt yesterday, I don't feel so disappointed.

The week ahead looks challenging, weather-wise. So we shall see what we can do to finish July without missing a day.

A Two-Bit Ride

Today I was determined to make up for the paltry rides on Wednesday and Thursday. I picked up my bike at work (where I left it yesterday), rode up Sixth Avenue to Central Park, where I did a circuit. The photo above is looking out over the Reservoir.

At 4.1 miles, I tried catching the sun through the trees to the east,
but it wasn't that interesting, so I snapped an extra shot looking north:


Once I completed a circuit, I rode south, braving Times Square, took Broadway to 5th Avenue, where I turned at the Flat Iron Building. I stayed on 5th to Washington Square Park where I turned left at the arch and caught back up with Broadway, which I rode to the Brooklyn Bridge and then puttered around in Brooklyn.

I ended with a 25.05 miles, the longest ride since I started the 41-consecutive day project earlier this month.